Well for the last couple of years I've been posting tips on how to take pictures of the 4th of July fireworks and this year is no exception.

I know there are about a ZILLION websites out there that give you all kinds of hints and tips and technical know how, on HOW to shoot 4th of July fireworks. Well I'm not much different but I think I'll just try and keep this short and to the point. I've also included some fireworks photos I took using the same "technique" that I'm describing here. So here we go. You are going to need to shoot in manual mode, so ya might wanna know how to do that on your camera before you head out.

Tip #1 - You need a stable tripod (You're shooting in the dark so you will need one.)

Tip #2 - You will need to use a long shutter speed, (Also why you need a tripod) Set your shutter speed to 4 seconds.

Tip #3 - Get your depth of field, Set your Aperture to F11

Tip #4 Zoom in close, but not to close, you want to fill your camera frame.

Tip #5 - Cable release if you can but don't stress out if you don't. Just means that you will be looking through your view finder a lot, and not really enjoying the fireworks.

Tip #6 - When do you shoot? Just when the fireworks just burst.

Tip #7 - Take a test shot or two and check your results. If its overexposed, set your shutter speed to 3 seconds. Rinse and repeat.

Yeap that's it, pretty easy actually, feel free to take a ZILLION pics, and experiment a little. But the basics are up top. I leave the composition up to you.